139: Smart people

Long Yuan saw things were going south. If he let these Iron Hoof Cattle, as well as the Black Armored Bears and Plum Horned Deer above, fall into a frenzy, his villa would be ruined. Moreover, if they charged into the surrounding villa district and streets, it would likely cause chaos in Fengyang, which would play right into the hands of those two Evil Cultists, Yun Yi and Li Yang.

In fact, those two were planning to send people to destroy these five Beast-Rearing Bases at the critical moment, releasing these Ranked Exotic Beasts to wreak havoc in Fengyang as a cover for their abduction of "test subjects" for medicine. It could be said that these five bases were time bombs they had long since scouted, intended to give Fengyang a massive "surprise" at the right moment!

It was precisely because Long Yuan discovered this plot through the information captured by the Heavenly Dao Eye that he came here today to "defuse the bombs"!

At this moment, everyone was either poisoned or unconscious, leaving Long Yuan alone to face these agitated exotic beasts. However, he remained calm and composed. He cast out a Soul Net, which quickly enveloped all the cages of the Iron Hoof Cattle. The cattle froze instantly, unable to move. Beneath the Soul Net, they trembled one by one, feeling incredibly small and powerless. Long Yuan gave a low shout: "Collect!"

With a "swish," all the cages and Iron Hoof Cattle vanished from the underground space!

In the blink of an eye, they all appeared within the Heavenly Dao Space. The cages and iron chains binding them were dismantled one after another and tossed into the Devouring Maw. In this manner, the Iron Hoof Cattle achieved their "freedom"!

Long Yuan did not linger. With a few flashes of movement, he quickly reached the surface and used the same method to take away the Black Armored Bears, Plum Horned Deer, and other small exotic beasts being reared. These beasts were all transferred into the Heavenly Dao Space. Once inside this space, they would be controlled and influenced by Long Yuan's will, preventing any further chaos!

Because Long Yuan was now the master of the Heavenly Dao Space, his will permeated everything here. Since these exotic beasts were of relatively low Rank, their Soul Power couldn't possibly resist his will. Therefore, upon entering, they could only submit and gradually become the creatures he reared... In fact, for these exotic beasts, entering the Heavenly Dao Space was actually a stroke of immense luck. This was a Spiritual Qi space; by breathing in Spiritual Qi here, there was a high probability they would eventually transform into Spirit Beasts. This was a leap in their level of existence. If they stayed outside, given their current situation, their chances of survival would be slim. Geng Yun and the others wouldn't allow these time bombs to remain in Fengyang City; even if they were kept alive, they would only be exploited to the extreme as Medicinal Beasts.

"There are four other rearing bases. I should take this opportunity to collect them quickly. Otherwise, Geng Yun and the others will either kill them or take them for themselves, which wouldn't benefit me at all. For Fengyang, they would remain a hidden danger. Only by bringing them into the Heavenly Dao Space is the correct solution..." Long Yuan thought to himself.

He returned to the underground space and pulled Tong Jingshan out from the pile of debris. He found him covered in blood, with multiple broken bones, likely unable to even stand. His face was so swollen his eyes were reduced to mere slits... Tong Jingshan felt himself being lifted. He struggled to open his eyes and, seeing it was Long Yuan, gritted his teeth and hissed, "I never thought that after a lifetime of hunting geese, I'd be pecked by one today... Just kill me. The Tong Family will avenge me!"

"Oh? Your illegal rearing of Ranked Exotic Beasts violates the laws of the Great Ming. On a small scale, it tarnishes the Tong Family's name; on a larger scale, it could very well lead to the official investigation and liquidation of your Family. If it's discovered that the main Tong Family is also involved in illegal beast-rearing like you, the consequences are easy to imagine. Do you really think anyone in the Tong Family would avenge a sinner like you? You're probably their enemy now, aren't you?" Long Yuan sneered.

"You?! Pfft, pfft, pfft!!!" Upon hearing this, Tong Jingshan's blood boiled, and he spat out several mouthfuls of blood. Long Yuan's words hit his Achilles' heel, leaving him instantly dazed, feeling as if the sky were falling. At the thought of the scenario Long Yuan described, he couldn't help but spit out more blood... "Do you want to get rid of these charges? Do you want to become a 'good person' again?" Long Yuan suddenly asked.

Tong Jingshan was stunned, and his coughing of blood stopped. He was silent for a moment before saying suspiciously, "How is that possible? With witnesses, physical evidence, and proof of my killings all here, how could I possibly be cleared?"

A smile played on Long Yuan's face as he said, "Where there's a will, there's a way! If framed as a major issue, your crimes are naturally unforgivable. But if framed as a minor one, it's just illegal beast-rearing. After all, no extremely serious consequences have occurred yet. If you confess your crimes and are willing to provide certain compensation, I can put in a good word with Geng County, giving you a chance to remain as the President of the Fengyang Alchemist Guild. That way, you won't become a sinner of your Family, and you might even be able to compete for the position of Family Head in the future, right?"

"What? How do you know I want to compete for the position of Family Head?" Tong Jingshan asked in shock.

"How could someone like you, who can't stand loneliness and works so hard to amass wealth and develop your own power, lack ambition? I'm afraid the position of Tong Family Head is just an appetizer for you, and you'll want to use the Family's strength to climb even higher later. If you die now, won't all your previous efforts be for nothing?" Long Yuan said.

"This... what do you want me to do?" Tong Jingshan asked.

"Hehe, it's always easier to talk to smart people! I have three conditions: First, save these people you poisoned with Hundred Poison Powder. Second, I must take the exotic beasts from the other four rearing bases. You can still make money by rearing unranked beasts instead. You should know that your bases have been targeted by the Evil Cultists of the Blood Wolf Hall and Shadow Moon Hall. They've been planning to break into your bases and release the beasts to wreak havoc on Fengyang. So, by taking them away, I'm actually saving your life and the lives of the Tong Family. Third, naturally, is to cooperate with me against the cultists in Fengyang, because they are going to start a major riot soon!" Long Yuan said.

Tong Jingshan's eyes widened, and he said with a trembling voice, "Is what you're saying true? The people from the Blood Wolf Hall and Shadow Moon Hall have already targeted me?!"

"Exactly! Otherwise, what do you think I came here for today? Naturally, I came to defuse the bombs. Your five rearing bases are five massive bombs that could go off at any time! So, if you didn't have trouble today, you would have had it soon. I don't need to tell you how those cultists operate; you'd surely end up dead without a grave! Or, you might have ended up throwing caution to the wind, joining them, and becoming an enemy of the entire Human Race..." Long Yuan snorted.

"This... I could never join a cult! As for the cooperation you mentioned, I can agree, but how can you prove you can convince Geng County to agree to this?" Tong Jingshan asked...